These Words
by o.O Kumiko O.o
Summary: For a creative writing project, Marinette is given a notebook and decides to write her thoughts and feelings in it. What happens when other students gets their hands on it? They say it takes a whole village to raise a child. Well, it took a notebook and a class to come together and help Adrien Agreste realize he was in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. (NO POWER AU)
1. Final Year Project

How I became obsessed with this show, i have no idea. My friends ask me why I'm getting so worked up over a kid's show. It's more than just a kid's show. I blame all the fanfics I read of this series. Now it was time, I tried and write one. Hope you all enjoy!

Miraculous Ladybug © Thomas Astruc

It is the third year at Collège Françoise Dupont and graduation is just around the corner. For a creative writing project, Ms. Bustier gives the students notebooks. Marinette decides to write her thoughts and feelings in hers. What happens when the other students get their hands on it? They say it takes a whole village to raise a child. Well, it took a notebook and a class to come together and help Adrien Agreste realize he was in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. _(No power au)_

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 **These Words**

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 **March 28**

It was a lovely March day when Marinette Dupain-Cheng came walking into her classroom to see her best friend Alya waving at her from their seats.

"Morning!" Marinette greeted as she passed by the two boys in front of her.

"Yo!" Nino waved.

"Good morning Marinette!" Adrien smiled at her.

"G-Good morning!" She was proud of herself for not freezing up. She immediately went to her seat as Alya nudged her side.

"Nice job, Marinette!" She winked.

The blue haired girl only sighed as she mentally patted herself on the back. The four of them had become close throughout their second year. Especially with Alya and Nino somewhat having something going on between them. That had given Marinette the chance to really get to know Adrien and realized that she shouldn't be holding him up on a pedestal and he was just as normal as everyone else. It still didn't help when he smiled at her and her heart felt like it would burst. Luckily, she was able to learn to speak calmly to him and not be as shy. Alya has been pushing her for months to go and confess but she didn't want to ruin the friendship her and Adrien had. With graduation coming up end of the year, she decided it was best that she didn't say anything. It was now their third and last year at Collège Françoise Dupon.

Looking around the class, she thought back on her classmates and what they went through the years. Alya and herself became the class representatives. Ivan and Mylène had finally gotten together. Alix and Kim's competition with each other sparked something else between them but no one called them out on it. Nathaniel had confessed his love to her after Chloé showed his drawings of her to the class. She drew the line for them and thankfully he was respectful of it and they were still friends. They also got a new student named Lila who ended up being worse than Chloé. Lila and Chloé both fought for the attention. It got worse when Adrien was involved. There was no doubt that Chloé was obsessed with the boy. How much of it was just her being possessive and how much of it were her true feelings, no one ever knew. It didn't help that Lila decided to jump on the Adrien-love train the moment she entered the school and started to spread lies. That was another reason Marinette was afraid to let her feelings for Adrien known. As if she needed more drama before graduation and to get into that mess.

"Good morning class!" Ms. Bustier greeted as she walked in with a box. This got everyone's attention as they settled down in their seats and looked to the front. "It's been a wonderful three years with you all. I know a few of you joined us from second year and so forth, but we have been able to make wonderful memories together. I decided as your last school project with me, you would be doing what we call creative writing. I will be passing out notebooks to each of you. You will be in charge of what you want to write in this notebook. Whether it is poetry, story telling, etc., it is all up to you. You have 3 months to fill up this notebook. At the end of the year, you will be able to show your notebook if you'd like to with the class." As Ms. Bustier passed the notebooks around, the class broke into conversation about the project.

"I'll be writing about my adventures around the world!" Lila exclaimed

"I would love to write a love story!" Rose said with a happy sigh.

"To keep things more private until the end…" Ms. Bustier spoke once more. "You will all be using pen names. Do not write your real name on these."

X

Marinette stared at the notebook in front of her. What name should she write on her book? Marinette was on her balcony as she looked around her view for inspiration.

Seamstress?

No, that was too obvious.

Marionette?

The bluenette groaned. Might as well put her real name.

Marinette sighed as she closed her eyes and relaxed on her chair. The smell of bread from her parents' bakery calmed her down. She opened her eyes when she felt something land on her nose. Looking down was a small little bug, red with small black dots. Letting a smile grace her face, Marinette picked up her pen and started to write.

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 _This notebook belongs to_

 _ **LADYBUG**_

 _If found, please return to Ms. Bustier's class_

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Satisfied with the name, Marinette opened the book and began to let the ink of her pen flow across the paper.

X

 **April 28**

A month had passed as Marinette and Alya sat on a bench during break.

"How has the notebook project been going for you, girl?" Alya asked as she took hers out.

Marinette smiled at the name that was written on the front cover. Lady Wifi. What a perfect pen name for her best friend. That girl was always on her phone.

"It's been good. I'm actually almost done with my notebook." Alya snapped her head so fast that Marinette was afraid her friend was going to get a whiplash.

"What?! Already?" Alya asked shocked.

"I had a lot to write about." Marinette pouted as her cheeks colored with embarrassment.

"Obviously! Do you mind if I read an entry? You can read mine! I just finished writing an entry earlier today."

"We're supposed to wait until the end of the year."

"Oh Mari, please!" Alya pulled her best puppy eyes as Marinette gave her friend a side-eye glance before sighing and handing her book over. Alya squealed as she handed Marinette hers.

Marinette skimmed over the first page of Alya's book. Her entries sounded like reports of things her friend had heard or seen. Flipping to the last page written, Marinette began to read.

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 ** _April 28, 2016_**

 _Lady Wifi here!_

 _It's been a month since we were given this notebook and boy, do I have news for you!_

 _Walking to school, I saw Lê Chiến Kim and Alix Kubdel arguing outside campus when Kim's best friend, Max Kanté was pushed by Chloé B_ _ourgeois and Lila Rossi, who were arguing on their way up the stairs. This had caused Max to bump into Kim who then crashed lips with Alix! The girl had turned as pink as her hair as she ran away. Poor Kim was left to stand there as he raised a hand to his lips. Has the line between friendly rivals and lovers finally been crossed? We shall see where the rest of the school year takes us. Maybe it's not too late to be honest with your feelings, especially with graduation coming up._

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"Omg! Alya!" Marinette gasped. She continued to read more.

"I know my writing is amazing!" Alya grinned as she went and read one of Marinette's recent entries.

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 **April 23, 2016**

 _It's been raining again in Paris._

 _The rain reminds me of the day he entered my life. He had given me his umbrella. At that moment, I saw the kindness in his heart. With a thunderclap, it was love at first sight. These feelings have grown since then. They may never reach him and I feel like it will be all the best that I give up on him. I'm comfortable with what we have now. I'm scared what I may tell him will ruin all of it._

 _So please, heart of mine, learn to forget and move on._

 _With love, Ladybug_

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Alya slowly lifted her head and peeked at her friend who continued to read some of her entries. The lump in her throat was hard to swallow as her heart felt for the girl next to her. What must it feel like to be so close to the person you love, yet so far? Yeah, her and Nino weren't official, but at least she knew there was something. Yet, for Marinette…

Closing the book and placing it on her lap, Alya looked across the area and saw the boy that captured her friend's heart. He was laughing about something with Nino. The boys must have noticed her staring because they went and walked up to her and Marinette.

Nino took a seat next to her, but all Alya could do was watch Marinette give Adrien a shy smile who talked about Jagged Stone's new song.

"Uh oh." Nino spoke quietly next to her as he secretly laced his right hand with her left. "I don't like the look you have in your eye." Nino watched as a fox like smile appeared on the girl's face.

"Time to do some magic…"

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How was that? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for giving this story a chance to be read. Let's see what Alya is up to next chapter.

-Love Kumiko.


	2. In Which Alya Schemes

Thank you for all the lovely reviews and support with this story. Like I stated in the last chapter, this is my first time writing a story for Miraculous Ladybug and I'm glad you all liked the previous chapter. I've been so nervous after uploading the chapter. Just a reminder that, this is an alternate universe where they do not have powers! So far Alya and Marinette are the only ones who know each other's pen names, Lady Wifi and Ladybug, respectively. Let's see what Alya had planned for Marinette and Adrien. The story will start off with Adrien's perspective of the first chapter!

Miraculous Ladybug ©Thomas Astruc

It is the third year at Collège Françoise Dupont and graduation is just around the corner. For a creative writing project, Ms. Bustier gives the students notebooks. Marinette decides to write her thoughts and feelings in hers. What happens when the other students get their hands on it? They say it takes a whole village to raise a child. Well, it took a notebook and a class to come together and help Adrien Agreste realize he was in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. _(No power au)_

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 **These Words**

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 **March 28**

Adrien's green eyes shined brightly as he was handed his notebook from Ms. Bustier. A final school project! He thought about how he would do his creative writing project. Poetry? Story-telling? Oh, or even better, puns? He looked around the class to see everyone was trying to figure out what to do. He tuned out Lila who started to brag about what she would write about. He looked over at Nino to see him writing something on the front of his book.

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 _This notebook belongs to_

 _ **DJ Bubbler**_

 _If found, please return to Ms. Bustier's class_

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Pen names huh?

The bell rang signaling that it was the end of school.

"I gotta go! Natalie and Gorilla is probably waiting for me in the front now. I have Chinese." Adrien announced to Nino and the girls behind him.

"Ever the busy man." Alya joked as Marinette shyly waved goodbye behind her. "We're graduating in June! Can't your dad give you a break to concentrate on school?"

Adrien just chuckled as he gave his friends an apologetic grin.

"Text me when you're done!" Nino nodded. "We all gotta plan for the school festival in June as well!"

Adrien nodded as he walked out of the room. School festival. That's right. Marinette and Alya were the class representative and deputy, respectively. For the last year, they came up with an idea to throw a festival for the graduating class, which everyone agreed to. Nino was asked to DJ as Marinette's and Alya's parents would help provide food. Adrien offered to help with finances, which Chloe agreed to help as well. That was going to be held in June, once exams were over. Holding the notebook close to him, he spotted the car as Gorilla came out and opened the door for him.

"Hey Natalie!" Adrien greeted with a smile. Natalie nodded as she eyed the notebook he was holding.

"It's a class project." Adrien said as he pulled out a pen and went back to thinking of his pen name.

A couple minutes passed when Gorilla pressed on the brakes quickly. Adrien felt himself go forward as Natalie quickly stuck out her right hand to hold him back to his seat.

"What happened?!" Natalie frowned as she fixed her glasses.

Adrien looked ahead to see a black cat in front of their car, just sitting on the street and licking its paw. The cat's green eyes shined mischievously before meowing and continuing on its path across the street.

Natalie sighed as Gorilla continued to drive to today's Chinese lessons. Adrien continued to watch the cat until he couldn't anymore. Sitting back down on his seat, he stared at the front of his notebook and smiled. With a click of his pen, he began to write.

Natalie peeked over to see what caught the young Agreste's attention. Reading the front of the notebook he held, she raised an eyebrow.

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 _This notebook belongs to_

 _ **Chat Noir**_

 _If found, please return to Ms. Bustier's class_

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X

 **April 29**

A month had passed since Ms. Bustier had given the class their notebook project. Their teacher got called outside the hallway, which allowed the class free time to talk about their project and the festival. Marinette was soon called out to help Ms. Bustier. Lunch was about to start in five minutes, so the class was getting anxious. Alya continued to stare at Adrien as he was talking to Nino about a new anime he got into. She soon turned her attention to her best friend's bag that lay innocently next to her. Her hazel eyes couldn't stop staring at the notebook that was peeping out of the bag.

This was all for Marinette's own good. That girl was as shy as they came and if Alya left things how they were going, her friend was going to graduate without telling Adrien how she felt! As if she was going to let that happen. Nino had caught her looking at Marinette's bag and gave her a look. Yesterday, when she brought up her plan, Nino didn't think it would be a good idea until he had read the page she had. The two agreed it would be a good idea to make a copy of Marinette's entries and send one to Adrien each day.

The bell rang and Marinette still hadn't come back to the class. Alya was about to text her when her phone went off. Her best friend was asking her to take her bag and wait for her at lunch. She was still stuck helping Mr. Bustier. Alya's heart began to beat a little faster. It was like the gods were telling her to carrying on with her plan. Quickly grabbing her and Marinette's bag, Alya sprinted to the library and found the photocopier that was hidden in the back.

Alya was 10 entries in when someone tapped on her shoulder. Jumping in surprise, she quickly turned around to see Rose and Juleka.

"W-What are you guys doing here?" Alya said as she tried to hide Marinette's book and her copied papers behind her. In her hurry, she dropped a couple pages as Rose quickly went to help pick them up. Alya's eyes widened as she saw Rose curiously look at a page.

"They're not mine!" Alya blurted out before covering her mouth. Juleka raised an eyebrow before peeking over Rose's shoulder.

"Are these entries about unrequited love?!" Rose asked as she became teary-eyed.

"If these aren't yours, whose are they?" Juleka questioned. "And why are you making copies?"

Alya sighed before looking around and grabbing the two girls closer to her. "They're Marinette's." she soon caught them up to speed with the situation.

"She's giving up?" Rose gasped. "They would be so cute together!"

"But Adrien is oblivious to her feelings." Juleka frowned.

Alya could only nod her head as she placed Marinette's book back in her bag. "I was going to place one of these entries on Adrien's desk and hoped he would get the hint."

"We shouldn't be forcing this." Juleka shook her head. Alya watched as the dark girl soon looked at Rose. The smaller girl didn't notice as she was reading more of Marinette's papers. "If Marinette is not ready to tell her feelings to the Adrien, we should just let it be. If we rush things too quickly, this could all blow up in our face. Do you know if Adrien has feelings for her? If Marinette tells him and he doesn't, she could lose that precious friendship with him. I couldn't—she couldn't do that, unless its positive that Adrien does like her back."

"Well like you said, the poor boy is oblivious. We're just pushing them into the right direction. There no other girl that he's close to like he is with Marinette. It's there. Trust me!" Alya tried to convince her friends.

"I'm in!" Rose smiled. "We can't let a love die without giving it a try."

"I'll help as well then. Three heads are better than two." Juleka sighed.

"Nino is in on this as well." Alya smiled. "Thank you. We have a plan for tomorrow. I'll text you the deets!"

Getting a text from Marinette, Alya bid the two girls goodbye and left the library.

X

 **April 30**

Adrien arrived to school early after having Nino text him saying that he had something to show him before class. Passing by the art room, he wasn't surprise to see Nathaniel drawing away. At least he wasn't the only one earlier for school. The young Agreste was surprised when he arrived to an empty classroom and no Nino. Setting his things down by his desk, he noticed a folded piece of paper.

Holding the paper, he sat down on his desk and unfolded it.

Green eyes widened when he realized this looked like an entry from someone's creative writing project. He soon began to read.

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 **March 29**

 _March is coming to an end and so is our time at Collège Françoise Dupont._

 _This project allowed me to think back on my years at this school and the friendships and memories I made with people in this class. I will finally be able to write my thoughts and feelings that I've been holding on for so long. It allows me to speak my mind and heart, something I wouldn't be able to do in person._

 _I hope this will make me freer once I finish this notebook._

 _With love, Ladybug_

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Adrien stared at the paper before folding it back up. For some reason, those words spoke to him. He wished he could be freer with his feelings and thoughts as well. Someone in this class could relate to him, but who?

"Ladybug, huh?" He spoke out loud. But why would this "Ladybug" put this on his desk? Did this person want him to find it? He went to ponder more about it until Nino came rushing into the class.

"Yo, sorry man! I got caught up with Marinette. I went to the bakery to pick up some sweet treats for breakfast. Fresh out of the oven!" Nino chuckled as he handed his blond friend one.

"Thanks!" Adrien said as he quickly placed the paper in his bag. "So what did you want to show me?"

"Check out this new song I created. It's lit!" Nino grinned as he offered his headphones to his friend. While Adrien got distracted listening, Nino discreetly went to text someone.

' **He read it.'**

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 **And that was chapter 2! Thank you all again so much for reading and reviewing. I'm glad so many enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Alya's plan has kicked off. Let's see what happens next on my next installment. Until next time!**

 **Love Kumiko!**


	3. Recruiting

Sorry for the long update. Life caught up to me with me moving to the East Coast and getting married! I want to thank you all for the lovely reviews. I'm glad you all loved my story and I can't wait to continue writing. Please enjoy this next chapter!

Miraculous Ladybug ©Thomas Astruc

It is the third year at Collège Françoise Dupont and graduation is just around the corner. For a creative writing project, Ms. Bustier gives the students notebooks. Marinette decides to write her thoughts and feelings in hers. What happens when the other students get their hands on it? They say it takes a whole village to raise a child. Well, it took a notebook and a class to come together and help Adrien Agreste realize he was in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. _(No power au)_

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 **These Words**

 **April 30**

Max Kanté prided himself with his intelligence, being excellent at knowing facts, statistics, and calculations. So it didn't go passed his observation when he passed by the classroom before class to see Alya place a paper on Adrien's desk.

A love note?

Impossible. There was something going on between her and Nino.

Maybe the letter was from Marinette.

Yes, that seemed to be the more reasonable idea. You had to be blind to not see that the baker's daughter was in love with the model, unless you were the model himself.

Walking away from the room, he shook his head and went to see if Kim or Alix were here before he went to the library. Clutching onto his notebook for the class project, he sighed. Ever since those two accidentally kissed a couple days ago, things have been awkward between them, making hanging out with them awkward. Walking to the courtyard, he could see Alix practicing rollerblading. With it being early in the morning, the courtyard was empty enough for her to do so.

"I think Alya came up with an idea to help get Marinette and Adrien together." Max announced, getting her attention. His words caused his pink-haired friend to stop and raise an eyebrow at him.

"She's been doing that for years and getting no results." Alix said as she looked at him in doubt.

"If my calculations are correct, the chances of Adrien finally noticing Marinette's feelings are higher this year, especially with the school festival coming up. That could help add some romantic vibes." Max said as he pushed his glasses up with his right middle finger. At his last words, Alix's cheeks began to match her hair.

"W-whatever." She said putting on a front. "The girls and I have been planning forever to get the two together. It would be about time."

"What would be about time?" A new voice piped in.

The two turned around to see their tall friend walking up to them.

"Good morning Kim." Max greeted as Alix turned to look at her roller blades. Her cheeks a little pinker.

"We're talking about Marinette and Adrien." Alix added as she filled him in on what was going on.

"You and the girls have been trying to do that forever. What makes Alya's new plan different?"

"He said it might work this time around." Alix said as she bent down to start taking her blades off.

"Marinette can't even talk to the guy without stuttering and blushing. It's not happening."

"As if." Alix challenged as she placed her hands on her hips. Her roller blades lay next to her feet. "This time it will work. They'll get together by the end of the school year."

"Wanna bet?" Kim smirked as Alix flushed again. Max rolled his eyes and took the moment to walk away and headed to the library. Leave it for those two to only be able to talk normally when competing against each other. Finding a nice spot to himself, he sat down and opened his notebook and began to write.

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 _This notebook belongs to_

 _GAMER_

 _If found, please return to Ms. Bustier's class._

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 _ **April 30**_

 _School hasn't even started yet and things are beginning to get interesting._

 _I caught Alya leaving a note on Adrien's desk, most likely in a scheme to get Adrien to realize Marinette's feelings. I wonder if I should get in touch with Alya to see if she could work her magic on my two oblivious friends as well. With the last year at College Francoise Dupont coming up, I'm 90% certain that things will change for the class. How? I'm not sure. We are talking about people's feelings here. I just hope this doesn't end up with people getting hurt. The game of love is quite a gamble._

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Satisfied with his entry, Max closed his book and looked at his watch for the time. With only fifteen minutes before class start, he gathered his things and began to head to class. Turning the corner, he had bumped into someone, his glasses falling to the ground in the process. Now things were blurry for him. Bending down, he began moving his hands around to feel for his glasses. He felt it and put it on. Things still weren't clear. The sound of someone giggling surprised him.

"Whoops, looks like we picked up the wrong glasses. Sorry. I should have seen where I was going." A familiar voice said. Small hands grabbed the glasses off his face and replaced it with his own. Putting his glasses on, he was surprised to see Sabrina helping gather his things. She gave him a small smile before tucking some hair behind her ear.

"I wasn't aware of my surround. I apologize." Max said as he adjusted his glasses and grabbed his bag from her.

"I wasn't paying attention either." Sabrina asked as the two of them got up. "You looked funny with my glasses on." She finished with a small smile.

Max didn't know why his heart started to beat a bit faster. He opened his mouth to say something before Sabrina's phone went off.

"Hey Chloe!" Sabrina said. There was a pause. "Y-Yes of course! I'm on my way!" She hung up and began to run down the hallway. Before she turned the corner, she paused as she turned around and waved. "I'll see you in class Max!"

Max stood in the middle of the hallway before he grabbed his notebook and opened it to his recent post and added one last sentence. Heat moved up to his cheeks.

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 _ **April 30**_

 _School hasn't even started yet and things are beginning to get interesting._

 _I caught Alya leaving a note on Adrien's desk, most likely in a scheme to get Adrien to realize Marinette's feelings. I wonder if I should get in touch with Alya to see if she could work her magic on my two oblivious friends as well. With the last year at College Francoise Dupont coming up, I'm 90% certain that things will change for the class. How? I'm not sure. We are talking about people's feelings here. I just hope this doesn't end up with people getting hurt. The game of love is quite a gamble._

 _The chances of me falling in love had just moved up 50%_

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XxXxXxXxX

Marinette bursted into the classroom as she made it to her desk. Looking to the clock in the classroom, she had five minutes before the bell rang. She was not late! It seemed like everyone was surprised that she made it in time too since they were all staring at her.

"I thought I was gonna be late! I stayed up working on flyer for the festival and before I knew it, I had fifteen minutes to get ready and head over." Marinette sighed as she rested her head on her desk.

"Well it shows." Alya smirked. "You didn't even do your hair this morning."

Marinette was confused until she brought her hand up to her hair and realized that her hair wasn't in their regular pig tails. Instead, it was loosely down. This got the attention of the boys in front of them.

"Oh yeah, dude. I haven't seen your hair down in years!" Nino commented.

"Your hair looks nice, Marinette!" Adrien said with a smile.

Marinette froze as her body felt like her body was shutting down. Adrien's smile was just too pure for this world. She felt Alya nudge her foot to get her attention back.

"Y-You thanks much very. I mean, t-thanks much very you. T-Thanks!" Marinette was able to say as her cheeks super hot.

Adrien gave her another smile before turning around.

"I can't…" Marinette muttered as she rested her head on the desk again. Alya sighed as she rubbed her friend's back. The bell rang as Ms. Bustier allowed them class time to get the festival planned.

"Alright everyone! So the school festival is coming up. We're going to need to figure out performances, decorations, food, and all that jazz." Alya announced.

"We can help plan decorations!" Rose said raising both Juleka's hand and her own up in the air.

"I'll help too." Mylene smiled as the girls high fived each other. Ivan nodded his head signaling he'd help as well.

"Okay, I'll have you four for decorations. Nathanael is good with art so he can help be in charge, if that's okay with you."

Nathanael blushed at the compliment before nodded. "I wouldn't mind." He answered. Marinette smiled as she wrote it down in a notebook. "Alya and I will have food covered with our parents and the help of Adrien and Chloe financing it . So that's taken care of. What about performances?"

"I can dj!" Nino pitched in.

"My brother can come in and play the guitar." Jukela offered.

"Is he good?" Alya asked. "We would need him to come in and play for us. Kind of like an audition. We can hold it after school on friday. That will give everyone a week to get prepared." Juleka nodded as she pulled out her phone to text her brother.

"I can sing!" Lila smiled as she stood up. "I used to do a lot of sin-"

"Whatever!" Chloe interrupted as she was looking at her nails. Lila glared at her before sitting back down. "My dad can help donate money to the school. So just let me know what you guys need."

Everyone was surprised by the generous offer by the blonde and it wasn't oblivious to her. "What? It's the first school festival and our last year. If we're going to have one, it better be one to remember. I'll be in charge of the decorations. Got a problem with that, Kurtzberg?"

"That's really nice of your Chloe!" Ms. Bustier interrupted as she clapped her hands together, causing Chloe to blush in embarrassment. "Since class is almost over, I just want to check in and see how your projects are coming along. We have two more months before the notebooks are due. Remember to keep these to yourself or at least keep your pennames a secret."

Marinette and Alya looked at each other sheepishly before sharing a secret smile at each other. Alya soon looked over to the blonde boy in front of her as she noticed him holding the note she left on his desk this morning. She had started his curiosity. Now all she had to do was slowly lead his attention to her best friend. Before they all know it, they'll get married and have kids calling her Aunt Alya! She sighed happily, grabbing the attention of Nino in front of her. The Moroccan boy raised an eyebrow before shaking his head and smiling at her. Alya fought the blush off her face as she returned the smile.

And maybe in the future, Marinette and Adrien's kids will be calling him Uncle Nino along with her.

XxXxXxXxX

Something was up.

It was break time and Marinette narrowed her eyes. Sitting on the bench with her was Adrien who was enjoying his lunch. Alya had told her to wait for her here before she took off with Nino, Rose, and Juleka. That had been ten minutes ago. To top it off, Max, Alix, and Kim were hanging out not too far from her and staring.

Something was definitely up.

"How's your project coming along?" Adrien's voice pulled her out of her thoughts as she looked up at her crush.

"I-It's going well." Marinette answered as her face began to feel warm. "I-I'm about finished."

"Whoa! Already?" Adrien beamed. "You never cease to amaze me."

"Um.. no, you never amaze to cease me either. I mean, I'm the one that amazes me. I mean, I had a lot of time, that's all." Marinette wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. Why was it so hard to talk to him? Adrien's smile grew even more.

Oh yeah, that's why.

"That's true." Adrien said as he looked up towards the sky. "With my busy schedule, I barely have time to write things down or even just hang out with people. That's why I'm glad I was able to go to school here and make good friends like you."

Marinette felt a tug at her heart. "M-Me too." Marinette said as she felt a lump in her throat. "I-I'm lucky to be able to be friends with you."

"What do you think of doing after we graduate?" The blond soon looked back to her.

"D-Designing!"

"I should have known." Adrien laughed. "You really are talented. You've even impressed my father with your hat a few years back."

"Sorry about the feathers. I never knew you were allergic to them and you had to model in it." Marinette's heart beated faster as she spoke. She didn't stutter and it seemed that Adrien noticed because he continued the conversation as he turned to face her properly.

"I don't think I want to continue modeling in the future." Adrien confessed, shocking the girl next to him.

"B-But you're good at modeling!" Marinette exclaimed.

"It's what my dad wanted me to be, not what I want to be. I want a job that will allow me to be home and spend time with family."

"Oh. I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Adrien quickly said as he nudged her gently with his elbow. He gave her a reassuring smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "In fact, I should be thanking you. I haven't been able to bring this up with anyone, not even Nino. With you, it's easy to talk. You really became one of my great friends. Even with graduation around the corner, you better keep in touch."

Marinette closed her eyes as she tried to hold in the tears that were forming. Just a friend huh? Maybe this was a sign to let her love for him go.

"Adrikins!" A voice said pulling Marinette away from her thoughts. Looking up, she saw Chloe and Sabrina walking up to them. Chloe narrowed her eyes at the sight of them sitting next to each other.

"Hey Chloe!" Adrien greeted. The blonde forced a smile in response as she fixed a golden bee comb in her hair.

"You must check out the ideas I have for the decorations! Since you and I will help finance this festivall, I will need your opinions. Come!" Marinette watched as Chloe grabbed Adrien's hand and pulled him away from the bench. She soon wrapped her arms around right arm and began to walk and carry on her conversation.

As his childhood friend pulled him, Adrien looked back to see Marinette smile at him and gave him a small wave goodbye. He waved goodbye as well, sending her an apologetic smile before giving his attention to the shorter blonde.

Sabrina had also turned to look back at the dark haired girl and frowned. That smile was so forced. She didn't have to sit down next to them to see that Adrien had said something to hurt Marinette before they came. She was trying to play it off. She was surprised to see Chloe walk faster towards the pair, but her attention wasn't on Adrien like usual, but on Marinette. Had Chloe noticed the hurt look on Marinette as well? Before she would ponder on it more, Chloe had grabbed Adrien and walked away with him. Sabrina pulled out her phone to text someone before she ran to catch up with the pair.

XxXxXxXxX

Alya sighed as she finally finished printing out the rest of Marinette's notebook out at the library. Nino, Rose, and Juleka was helping fold everything and numbering it.

"Now I'm starting to second guess this whole thing." Nino frowned. "What if this backfires on us?"

"Adrien just needs a push. It's there! He's just too oblivious to realize that."

"So what is your idea with these notes?" Juleka asked.

"We leave these for Adrien to read and bring his attention to see Marinette as more than a friend. And what a better way than the festival. We can have these two go together and then boom! Romance!"

"How romantic!" Rose squealed. "Dancing under the stars."

"But how are these notes gonna help him figure out that Ladybug is Marinette?" Nino pushed the subject again.

Before Alya could answer, her phone began to rang on the table, catching everyone attention as they looked down at it. It was a text from Sabrina.

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 **Sabrina Raincomprix:** _I'm not sure what happened but you need to check up on Marinette. Adrien is with Chloe and I. I think he said something to upset her before he came with us._

 _._

Everyone nodded as they rushed to gather everything and leave. On the way out, Nino and Alya hadran into Nathanael, who dropped everything on the ground.

"Sorry!" Alya called out before rushing down the hallway.

"Alya, wait!" Nino called out as the other girls followed after her. When it came down to Marinette, Alya would run people down with no regard.

"You alright, dude?" Nino said as he began to jog down the hallway. Nathanael nodded as he waved him off to go after them. The redhead watched them curiously before shaking his head. He wondered what had them rushing out so quickly. Another notebook lying on the floor caught his attention. He picked it up and open the cover. It had belonged to someone who's penname was Ladybug.

He sighed before he went to the classroom. This had to belong to one of his classmates. He went to his seat and pulled his notebook out and began to write.

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 _This notebook belongs to_

 _Illustrator_

 _If found, please return to Ms. Bustier's class._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _ **April 30**_

 _I got asked to be in charge of decorations for our school festival. I have to work alongside with Chloe for this. I'm not sure if that's gonna be easy. She definitely became a bit nicer recently but still. Marinette believed I could do this so I gonna do my best._

 _Speaking of Marinette, I'm happy to announce that my feeling for her have gone away. I still think she's amazing but I have come to terms with my feelings. I should be thankful that I have her as a wonderful friend. Besides, she's still in love with Adrien. I can't get in the way of that. Wishing her the best of luck._

 _._

 _._

 _._

Happy with his work, Nathanael began to doodle a picture of Marinette and himself smiling happily. Closing his book, he sighed and looked at his phone. Ten minutes to go before class people should be coming back from lunch. Staring at the other notebook he found, he couldn't help but open it and read a page.

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 _This notebook belongs to_

 _Ladybug_

 _If found, please return to Ms. Bustier's class._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 **April 15**

 _I don't know if it's because it's the end of the year and we're about to graduate but I decided to be nice to Chloe and be a good example to her. When Chloe ruined my birthday gift for Ms. Bustier, I was so upset. Thanks to Ms. Bustier calming me down and Adrien getting upset at Chloe, she had apologized to us saying that she was upset that she had forgotten our teacher's birthday. It seems Chloe had an issue with remembering people's birthdays. Her mother never did and it seemed to have affected her. She's still wrong for how she's acted, that doesn't excuse her one bit. But if even one person can show her how to be a good person, I'm sure she can be one herself. I mean, she's childhood friends with Adrien who is practically an angel. That has to have some merit, right?_

 _Recently, I saw Chloe drop a hair clip that she liked and a car had ran over it. I could tell she was really upset about it. From what I could get out of Sabrina, it was a gift from her mom. I designed a bee clip in replacement for it and gifted it to her. She asked what I wanted in return, which was a typical Chloe response. However, she still took it. She tries to hide it, but I catch her wearing it at school sometimes. She's still a bit prideful but it's a start._

 _With love, Ladybug_

 _._

 _._

 _._

Nathanael remembered the birthday incident clearly. He remember seeing how distraught Marinette was when she ran out of the locker room and had passed by him. He also remember seeing the guilt in Chloe's eyes afterwards when Adrien had gotten upset at her. That also meant this was Marinette's notebook. He needed to stop reading it and give it back.

Well, maybe one more entry wouldn't hurt.

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 **April 23**

 _It's been raining again in Paris._

 _The rain reminds me of the day he entered my life. He had given me his umbrella. At that moment, I saw the kindness in his heart. With a thunderclap, it was love at first sight..."_

 _._

 _._

 _._

"So please, heart of mine, learn to forget and move on?" Nathanael's eyes widened as he jumped in his seat. Turning around, he saw Ivan and Mylene staring at him curiously. It was Mylene that had spoken up.

"I-It's not mine. It's Marine-"Nathanael covered his mouth as he stopped himself from revealing the true owner of this book.

"Marinette?" Ivan asked frowning. "Why do you have her notebook? Do you still like her?"

"NO! I mean, no, not anymore. I found this in the hallways and was trying to figure out how to give it back to her without her thinking I stole it." Nathanael sighed.

"Wait! Is this post about Adrien?" Mylene frowned as she grabbed the notebook. "She's giving up?"

"I didn't get to finish reading it." Nathanael turned red as he grabbed the book back. "Too many people have seen this. We aren't supposed to know who each other is. We already ruined Marinette's trust by reading it!"

"You can give it to Alya to put it back in Marinette's bag." Ivan offered as he signaled for the group to look up at the front. Alya had ran into the classroom, looking out of breath.

"DO YOU HAVE IT?!" Alya almost screamed.

The trio nodded as Alya took a deep breath. "I thought I lost it. I must have dropped it when I ran into you earlier." She went up to them and grabbed the notebook. She saw the page they were on and frowned.

"Why do you have Marinette's notebook?" Nathanael asked as he gave Alya a suspicious look.

"Did you read this entry?" Not waiting for an answer, she continued. "She's going to give up on Adrien without telling her how she feels. She can't do that!"

"Isn't that her choice though?" Ivan asked. "Marinette is my friend. As much as I'm rooting for her and Adrien, I don't want her to get hurt."

"She's already getting hurt by not having closure. If her and Adrien work out, the whole class will be happy for them. If they don't, I'll be there to support her through it, but at least she'd finally get her answer instead of wondering what if."

"Where is Marinette anyways?" Mylene asked. She understood where Ivan was coming from but at the same time, she agreed that Marinette should just tell Adrien and get the closure she deserves.

"With Nino, something came up so he decided to stay with her as I went to look for her notebook." Alya explained. "They should be on their way here to class."

Juleka and Rose soon came in and took their seats. "We have the copies!" Rose exclaimed as she handed a bag full of folded paper. "It's all numbered too in the order that you wanted."

"We got caught, didn't we?" Juleka sighed as she noticed the others with Alya.

"We want to help!" Mylene spoke up as she raised her hand. Ivan crossed his arms but grunted, signaling that he would help but wasn't happy about it.

"I'll help as well. Marinette's done a lot for us." Nathanael said. "But the moment, this starts to go downhill, we stop and let it go. I won't tell Marinette."

"Thank you." Alya said just as the door opened and Max, Kim, and Alix came walking in.

"Are you recruiting people for your plan?" Max asked.

Alya's eyes widened. "How do you know?!"

"I saw you leave the letter on Adrien's desk this morning." Fixing his glasses, he noticed the bag of letters that Rose and Juleka were holding. "And it looks like that wasn't the only letter you plan to leave."

"Alix and I have a bet!" Kim announced.

Alix glared at her friend before walking over to Alya. Looking as serious as she could to the class deputy, she stuck her hand out. "We're going to get model boy to notice Marinette no matter what!"

"I still say this is gonna blow up in our faces." Kim shook his head. "If I win this bet, I get a trophy engraved with my name saying I'm the best. Ceremony and all by the end of the year."

Alix rolled her eyes as she waved him off. "That means not telling Adrien and Marinette anything that will affect the bet."

Kim smirked. "Deal!"

"If you guys are done flirting…" Alya began to say, causing the two to blush. "Let me say that this stays only with everyone in the room at this very moment, including Nino. Too many people are involved as it is. If Chloe and Lila find out what we're doing, I swear they're gonna sabotage this whole thing."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement before changing the subject to the festival next month. Adrien soon came in with Chloe and Sabrina as Chloe shared her ideas for decorations. Lila came in followed by Nino. Marinette came in last as she gave a smile to everyone. She seemed to be in better spirits. Alya watched her friend talk to Mylene. With Marinette's back turned, Alya quickly placed the notebook back in her backpack. Chloe and Sabrina seemed to have been watching Marinette as well. When Alya's eyes met with Chloe's, the blonde blushed for getting caught staring at Marinette. Alya raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Chloe had been acting weird recently.

Marinette noticed her best friend staring at her as she tilted her head in confusion. "Is everything okay, Alya?"

Alya saw that Adrien and Nino had slightly turned their head to look at Alya worriedly.

"Everything is fine." Alya assured her as Nino went to distract Adrien with his new mixtape. "Everything is fine."

Marinette gave her a soft smile as she went to her seat. At that moment, Ms. Bustier came in and began the class.

Alya continued to watch Marinette from the corner of her eye. When she had ran to Marinette during lunch, she was crying and had told her what had happened between her and Adrien during lunch. Nino decided to take her for a walk around the school to clear her head and cheer her up. Whatever Nino said, it had put Marinette in a better mood. She never wanted to see Marinette cry like that again. Hopefully, her plan worked out. For Marinette's sake.

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Have you guys caught up with the latest episode of Miraculous Ladybug? This show is going to be the death of me. Thank you again for reading my story and being patient with my updates. Work, online classes, and wedding planning have been taking up my time. I will definitely try to update as fast as I can. Until next time!

-Love Kumiko


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